ExoMars 2018 candidate landing site: Oxia Planum

Oxia Planum has been recommended by the Landing Site Selection Working Group as the primary candidate for the landing site of the ExoMars 2018 mission. This map combines ESA Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) images with Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor. The landing ellipses under evaluation for site selection are indicated, and cover an area of 104 x 19 km. The orientation of the landing ellipse depends on when the launch takes place within a given launch window – the sites have to be compliant with launch opportunities in both 2018 and 2020, as indicated.